Disposable cot sheet

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a disposable cot sheet made of spun bonded olefin. The sheet has a pair of tie strips on each side and a pair of loops on each end for tieing the sheet onto a cot to provide a fitted sheet.

United States Patent 1191 Holstein 14 1 Oct. 16, 1973 DISPOSABLE COTSHEET 2,720,269 10/1955 Diacos 5/334 R ux 2,816,054 12/1957 Howden 5/334R ux [761 Invent Stephen suth 3,308,488 3/1967 Schoonman 5/335 DallasAvenue, Plttsbufgh, 3,646,624 3/1972 Zipf 5/334 R 15208 3,654,059 4/1972ZiSblatt 5/334 R x [22] Filed: May 1972 Primary Examiner-Donald A.Griffin [21] Appl. No.: 257,360 Attorney-William J. Ruano 52 U.S. c15/334 R [57 Q [51] Int. Cl A47g 9/00 Thls mvemlon relates to adlsposable cot Sheet made [58] Field of Search 5/336, 335, 334 R, ofspun bonded olefin- The Sheet has a p of tie 5 /334 B, 334 C strips oneach side and a pair of loops on each end for tieing the sheet onto acot to provide a fitted sheet. References Cited 1 Claim, 2 DrawingFigures UNXTED STATES PATENTS 2,342,069 2/1944 Wilkinson s" 5/336 uxPatented Oct. 16, 1973 3,765,040

Fig.!. 3 3

DISPOSABLE co'r SHEET This invention relates to a disposable cot sheet,and, more particularly, to one having a chemical composition such as tomake it disposable as well as to give the sheet optimum wear and comfortcharacteristics.

An outstandingdisadvantage of ordinary cotton or linen cot sheets usedfor day care centers, nurseries, and early childhood education programsin hospitals, is that they are expensive and require constant washingand ironing which increase the expense of maintenance, as well as beingsusceptible to spreading diseases when used by different patients unlessunusual precautions are maintained.

The ordinary disposable material is paper based and while inexpensive,would be uncomfortable in feel to the ordinary sleeper or patient.Likewise it does not haveother desirable characteristics for a sheet,such as smoothness, moisture absorption, tensile strength, etc.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel disposablesheet which is particularly useful for day care or hospital cots andwhich will overcome the above named disadvantages.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a spunbonded olefin sheet, particularly a fitted sheet, having optimumcharacteristics and which overcomes the abovenamed disadvantages ofordinary disposable material that is, paper based material.

Other objects and advantages will become more ap-.

parent from a study of the following description, taken with theaccompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 'is'a plan view showing a spun bonded olefin sheet in spread outcondition and embodying the present invention; and, i I

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view thereof shown tached to a cot.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, numeral 1denotes a cot or mattress onto which a sheet 2 is strapped, which sheetis constructed according to the present invention.

Sheet 2 is provided with straps 3, sewed or bonded at 4 to the sheet,which straps may be continuous in length throughout the entire width ofthe sheet, if desired, to provide greater strength. A total of four.straps or extensions 3 are provided which may be passed through loops 5stitchedto the two ends of the sheet, along a central. longitudinalline.

FIG. 2 shows how: the straps 3 are wrapped about the corners of the cotor mattress 1, then extended through loop Sand tied together to'forma'bow knot' 7. An: essential feature of the invention resides in thespecific-composition of the sheet which, when wrapped about the cot ormattress as shown in FIG. 2, will provide a comfortable andrelativelysmooth surface for a child or patient to lie on,particularly'on a day care or hospital cot.

The sheet 2 is made of spunbonded olefin, such as that sold under thetrademark Tyvek by E.I. Dupont De Nemours E.I.. & Co. of Wilmington,Del. under different'types, such as Types l0, l4 and 16, however Types1,4 and 16 being'preferable for the purpose of the present invention.Spunbonded olefin is a family of tough, durable sheet products of highdensity polyethylene fibers. The sheet is formed by first spinningcontinuous strands of very fine, interconnected fibers and thenbondingthem together with heat and pressure. The resultant productcombines surface smoothness, high opacity and toughness to a degreeunique as compared to other commonly used sheet products. Types l4 and16 are preferable since fiber bonding is restricted to discreet pointson the sheet for producing a high degree of fiber mobility in the sheet,giving it a fabric-like drape. I

In contrast to Type 10 products, they have higher tear strengths butlower tensile strengths and less smooth surfaces. Also Types l4 and 16products are perforated which give them higher porosity, additionalsoftness and still better flexibility and drape at some expense of tearand tensile strength. They change less than 0.01 percent between 0 and100 percent R.H. at constant temperatures to provide dimensionalstability. The resistance to water born soils is excellent. They havegood resistance to degradation from age, unless overly exposed toultraviolet rays, although this can be improved with opaque coatings orby adding ultraviolet absorbers to coating formulations. They do notbegin to shrink until they obtain a temperature of 245F.. The are inertto most acids. They meet the requirements of the Federal FlammableFabrics Act CS-l9l-53).

The high opacity is due solely to the multiple refractionof lightbetween the very fine polyethylene fibers and air withinthe denselypacked sheet structure. No pigments delustrants or whiteners are addedto the product, therefore it can be made transparent in processing byremoving the air in the structure, using heat or pressure, or by fillingthe air spaces with various clear resins, polymers or oils. An importantcharacteristic of Type 16 is that it has an air permeability comparableto that of shirting fabrics along with high moisture-vapor transmission.It does not produce free'lint particles under ordinary use. It isunaffected by water or highly polar solvents-therefore readily washable.

Style 1621B, which is one of the Type 16 styles,'of Dupont Tyvek has aweight of 1.15 ounce per square yard, a thickness of 6' mills, a striptensile strength of 8/8 pounds per inch MD/XD and an elongation tobreak'percentage of 18/26, an opacity of percent, an MIT flex of Mcycles, and a Frazier porosity of 50 Ft. air/ftF/ min. i

The above Tyvek styles are described for use in making paper sheet.products (.but not bed sheets or cots).

In view of the-abovenamed characteristics,'sheet 2 is uniquely suitableas. a bed or-'cot sheet since it is relatively inexpensive, thereforedisposable, and .yet which can, be washed a number of times, ifdesired,";witho,ut altering its characteristics. Also it is somewhatsmooth although not paper-like smooth, therefore comfortable in feel,comparable to a cotton sheet lts breathability and moisture absorptionisof particular benefit for use as a sheet material for beds. Thecharacteristics are particularly maximized when the sheet is draped andheld somewhat under tension inthe manner shown in 2- Thus it will beseen that l ave provided a disposable sheetuseful on cots orhospital'cotso r beds, or for general use, such as incottagesorv inordinary homes, but particularly useful for day care cots so thatdiseases may not be spreadby the use of thesame sheet for differentchildren. I

While 1' have illustrated and described a single specific embodiment ofmyinvention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustrationonly and. that various changes and modifications may be contemplatedwithin end thereof, whereby the sheet may be draped about a the Scope ofmy invention and the followmg claimscot or mattress and held undertension by passing the I claim:

1. A sheet for a cot or bed consisting of spunbonded olefin and havingtwo tie strips extending from each 5 them together the form Ofa sidethereof and a loop extending centrally from each ends of said tie stripsthrough the loops before tieing

1. A sheet for a cot or bed consisting of spunbonded olefin and havingtwo tie strips extending from each side thereof and a loop extendingcentrally from each end thereof, whereby the sheet may bE draped about acot or mattress and held under tension by passing the ends of said tiestrips through the loops before tieing them together in the form of abow.